Today, it may seem like the college admissions process has become more inflated and difficult to navigate than ever before. Many parents have become vocal about the standardized testing and college preparation that begins as early as elementary school. In fact, some families hire advisors to help their children chart a path to the most prestigious schools when they are barely teenagers. This text examines the historical college admissions process and where we are today through the thoughtful analysis of researchers, politicians, officials, and ordinary people in order to show students all sides of this often high-stress topic.

First-wave feminism arrived on the international scene in the nineteenth century, a time when women had very few rights as citizens and were largely controlled by a government with laws that protected and served men. Today, through the work of feminist movements, women have gained the right to vote and work, but the quest for social and economic equality remains. This text gives students insight into the fascinating history of the feminist movement and its leaders while presenting thoughtful analysis of feminist issues to help students think critically about the history and present need for feminism and women’s rights today.

Millennials are much discussed and debated by the public, media, and government, with many competing ideas about the age group. Including those born between the mid-1980s and early 2000s, the generation is sometimes seen as entitled and lacking in work ethic, while others feel they have proven themselves as innovative and forward thinking. Today, as millennials enter the workforce and begin shaping the future of the country, understanding how they fit into society is extremely important. In this book, arguments about millennials written by experts, researchers, politicians, and others will be laid out side by side so that students can form their own opinions not only about this critical generation, but about how society confronts change and generational differences.

The use of painkilling drugs has become an epidemic, with an increasing number of prescriptions being written as well as illegal use of street drugs. Deaths from unexpected overdoses are followed by reports of opioids being added to various street drugs, in inconsistent amounts. It's hard to know from news reports just how dangerous opioids can be or who is using them. This text has primary-source evidence from doctors and thoughtful analysis from health experts and court cases, as well as personal viewpoints of people affected in their ordinary lives, helping students think critically about opioid use and abuse.

State-sponsored assassinations have been used by the United States since the early twentieth century and became a major tactic used by presidential administrations in the 1980s to fight drug wars in South America. Since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the United States has escalated its use of targeted killing. The CIA and Pentagon have employed the controversial practice more than ever before, and President Barack Obama’s administration increased drone-targeted killing and special forces dramatically. This text looks at both the history and current use of government-sponsored assassinations, providing thoughtful analysis from multiple perspectives about the issues, politics, and ethics behind state-sponsored killing to help students think critically about the issue today.

This volume delivers a cutting-edge analysis on vernacular globalization, or how local forces mediate global trends. It delves into the vital facets of the quest for global competitiveness, including: Global university rankings World-class universities University mergers Quality assurance Cross-border higher education International education hubs. The authors situate their topics within current international scholarship and demonstrate the myriad avenues through which local actors in higher education may respond to global competition. They pose critical questions about the impact of global competition in an increasingly hierarchical higher education environment, interrogating the potential for social injustice that arises. By providing an alternative perspective to the descriptive, normative approach that dominates the scholarship on global competition in higher education, the chapters in this volume open a fresh and invaluable dialogue in this arena. This is the 168th volume of the Jossey-Bass quarterly report series New Directions for Higher Education. Addressed to presidents, vice presidents, deans, and other higher education decision makers on all kinds of campuses, it provides timely information and authoritative advice about major issues and administrative problems confronting every institution.